Nokia takes Android head on by sourcing for local applications

Nokia 500, one of Nokia's new smartphones that will
get more local apps from 100 developers
this weekend.

Nokia is looking to revamp its smartphone unit in Africa. This has seen them coming up with devices such as the Nokia 500, which is fully touch and features a vastly improved version of its Symbian OS (Symbian Belle), with cool features that allow it to match off with Android and OS.

With the new devices and improved Symbian software, Nokia is now looking for applications form the region to entice users. I am in the midst of reviewing the Nokia 500, and it has quite a number of applications that you would expect on other smart phones, including Angry Birds.
While Android and iPhone may have a few local apps here and there, Nokia is looking to up the ante by calling in 100 developers to come up with local Symbian applications. This will be at an event to be held this weekend in Nairobi. It will be interesting to see what will come off the event.

Maybe we will have a Nokia application to track your M-Pesa usag. What are your other ideas for local apps?

Below is a press release on the event.

Nokia is calling on all Qt developers for the biggest hack-fest this side of the Limpopo. 100 developers will be put in a room for 48 hrs. to come up with the best Qt apps this nation has ever seen. The best app will win Kshs 1 Million at the end of the Hackathon.
This event is on invite only and registration closed on the 14th of June. Over 300 developers registered for the hackathon and only 100 will be invited to participate.
The Nokia Hack will be held at the 88MPH, Human IPO start up garage, Piedmont Plaza, 4th floor. It starts on the 23rd of June and ends on the 24th of June.
Certificates of participation will be issued and the winning apps will have trophies.
Prizes are as follows:

Top Prize: Kshs 1 million

Second Prize: Kshs 300,000

Third Prize: Kshs 100,000

Consolation prizes: 10 apps will get Kshs 10,000 each.

We shall feed you, entertain you and make you rich. See you then.
Program & Venue Details Saturday, 23 June, 2012 - Sunday, 24 June, 201208:00 - 17:00Human IPO, Ngong Road, 88MPH Start-up GaragePiedmont Plaza, 4th floorNairobi , KenyaFor more information, please visit http://www.cvent.com/events/nokia-developer-hackathon-kenya

Comments

Beers in Kenya: A sober opinion

Note: This is a dated post and has since been mostly passed by events. SAB Miller beers including Castle and Peroni are no longer widely available in Kenya after their exist. Sirville Brewery was bought out by Brew Bistro before being permanently shut in a tax dispute. Kenya is a land of milk, honey, beaches and taxes. I have penned, or is typed, a newer post here . Peroni - One of the best beers in Kenya. Did a taste of canned and bottled Italian, and bottled Tanzanian I like the tangy flavour and body in Tanzanian Peroni. The can is close. Heineken drinkers will like the Italian one. I have had a short beer swigging stint in my life. It has however been long enough for me to share my opinion of Kenyan beer. Interestingly, over the course of sharing such opinions with other drunkards connoisseurs, I have found that we all have different views as to what beer is the best, which one makes you too drunk, or which one gives one free, extra hangover for every ha...

Visiting Watamu

Getting to Watamu: Flight to Malindi Airport. Jambojet flies here and so do other airlines from Wilson. You'll then need a Cab to Watamu (KSh. 1,700 to KSh. 2,000 - many apps are inaccurate) or matatu just outside the airport (KSh. 100) SGR to Mombasa, then shuttle to Watamu. There are about 2 regular shuttles and they charge KSh. 1,500 to KSh. 2,000 one way Bus to Watamu. Tahmeed and other buses operate regular schedules to Total Watamu Drive: It's faster branching through Mariakani to Kaloleni then to Kilifi. The route through Tsavo is not any faster and has park fees. Takes 9 hours Things to do Beach Sunbathing : Watamu has some of the world's best beaches, with white sand. The left side from Watamu Village has a bay with shallow water during low tide, you can wade and swim in the ocean even if you don't know how to swim! Ocean is warm in July - August but very windy. Watamu beaches have lots of seaweed but this shouldn't deter yo...

Nairobi's Top 4 Texas Brisket Places Reviewed and Ranked

Brisket on a bed of roast vegetables with barbecue sauce at Texas Brisket, Kikuyu This review has been updated after a number of you suggested I try the brisket at County2County. What's the best place to have Brisket in Nairobi? What's even brisket? Brisket is one of the toughest cuts in a cow, from around the belly. It is so tough that it has to be smoked for about 16 hours to tenderise. But that there, is the catch. 12 to 16 hours later, it is the most flavourful and softest cut you will ever have. So full of flavour and so soft you can pick it apart with your fingers. However, due to the long cooking time involved, only a few places offer brisket in Nairobi. The best so far is Texas Brisket which is located within Kikuyu Railway station. They do the meat for a proper 16 hours, and will usually have a fatty or non-fatty portion. The fatty portions are more tasty. A 500 gram serving goes for KSh. 900 and a 1 KG order comes with a serving of fre...

Beers of Kenya. The Ultimate 2019 Guide

Four years ago, precisely in 2015, I wrote about beer in Kenya in what has gone on to be my most popular post this year with more than 5,000 people reading it. It seems that there is a lot of interest in exploring beer in Kenya, which is understandable. The brewing sector has grown since then and we now have lots of options, which means it is time for another review. Back in 2015, Kenya had one major brewer - EABL/KBL, challenged by Keroche and Sierra which is more of a small volume craft brewer, and arguably Kenya’s first craft brewery. It had also been joined by Brew Bistro which mostly sells its malted stuff at its outlets in Nairobi and later by Sirville, a bar located at Galleria Mall. Sirville was later sold to Brew Bistro and converted to the latter for a while, before shutting down in what is alleged to be a tax dispute.

Why Humanity Hasn't Learned From the Covid Pandemic

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic began ravaging the world, succeeding the 1918 flu pandemic. Many found it unbelievable that despite all the scientific progress that the world has made since 1918, from composite jets to modern healthcare to going to the moon, the world was still susceptible to a pandemic. Ironically, some of these advancements largely played a role in the spread of the pandemic. Thousands of global flights every hour and air conditioning fanned its spread like a dry wind would in a forest fire. There was even further disbelief in mid-2020 when it became apparent that many countries were even struggling to keep a pandemic in check. Developed countries, supposed to have the best healthcare, suffered the worst outbreaks amidst disagreements on measures such as quarantines and wearing of masks. In yet another twist, technology advancement finally came to our rescue with the speedy development of vaccines, including the safe pioneering of never-tried-b...

Dennis Kioko

Search This Blog